Professor Tom Herring, who previously served as chair of the Program in Geophysics (PG), is once again stepping up to lead the program, having taken over for outgoing chair Brent Minchew, now at Caltech.
“Geophysics encompasses many areas, including recent advances in environmental issues such as carbon sequestration and hydrogen production, as well as slow and fast processes related to earthquake initiation and imaging, and the effects of fluids in the Earth. As chair, I will work to bring focus to the education and collaborative research needed to advance the field,” says Herring.
The Program in Geophysics is a PhD program that investigates the physical and chemical processes that shape the Earth and other planets over broad spatial and temporal scales, from crystalline structures to plate boundary faults and on time scales from seconds to millions of years. It combines theory, field work, and laboratory experimentation to develop insights on important global issues such as geothermal and hydrocarbon sources, carbon sequestration, groundwater flow, and earthquake cycles.
Herring’s research, utilizing millimeter-accurate geodetic methods, focuses on deformation processes affecting earthquakes, processes leading up to earthquakes, loading effects from the atmosphere and groundwater, and propagation medium effects from the Earth’s atmosphere. His research has made him a leader in the field of geodesy, having written several books and served on numerous committees for international standards, including several NASA advisory panels. He joined the EAPS faculty in 1989.
Geology Bites: Tom Herring talks High-Precision Geodesy
October 20, 2025
